Key Moments:
- The Esports World Cup 2026 is scheduled to take place from July 6 to August 23, 2026, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- Twenty out of twenty-four game titles for the event have been announced, spanning multiple genres.
- EWC 2025 awarded $70.45 million in prizes, with Team Falcons taking the Club Championship with 5,200 points.
Event Expansion and Global Reach
The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) has revealed that the Esports World Cup 2026 will feature competitions in 24 titles, of which 20 have now been confirmed. The event is slated for July 6 through August 23, 2026, hosted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Consistent with previous editions, the tournament brings together professional players and teams from around the world to compete for significant prizes across a range of video game genres.
Background and Growth of the Esports World Cup
Launched in 2024 as a successor to the Gamers8 tournament, the Esports World Cup has rapidly expanded to include a variety of gaming genres and international participants over its initial two years. Riyadh continues to play a central role as host city, leveraging enhancements to its digital infrastructure and focus on entertainment.
The event’s growth is exemplified by EWC 2025, which gathered 2,000 players and 200 clubs from 100 countries. That edition featured competitions in 25 tournaments across 24 games, broadcast to audiences in 140 countries. It attracted 750 million online viewers and drew 3 million visitors on-site.
Confirmed Titles and Tournament Details for EWC 2026
For the upcoming 2026 event, organizers have confirmed 20 of the 24 participating game titles. Four additional games remain unannounced. The confirmed lineup represents major genres, including shooters, MOBAs, battle royales, strategy, and fighting games.
| Confirmed Titles for EWC 2026 |
|---|
| Apex Legends |
| Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 |
| Call of Duty: Warzone |
| Chess |
| Counter-Strike 2 |
| Crossfire |
| Dota 2 |
| EA Sports FC 26 |
| FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves |
| Free Fire |
| Honor of Kings |
| League of Legends |
| Mobile Legends: Bang Bang |
| Overwatch 2 |
| PUBG BATTLEGROUNDS |
| PUBG Mobile |
| Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege X |
| Street Fighter 6 |
| Teamfight Tactics |
| VALORANT |
Speculation regarding the remaining four titles has included games like Fortnite and Rocket League, but as of this announcement, Rennsport is not included despite its previous presence. Rennsport’s prior inclusion saw Team Redline win both R1 LAN events at the Esports World Cup. Its exclusion may indicate a shift towards a different racing title or tournament format.
Partnerships and Multi-Year Publisher Agreements
The 2026 event is supported by partnerships with a broad collection of leading publishers, including Activision Blizzard, Capcom, Chess.com, Electronic Arts, Garena, Krafton, Moonton, Riot Games, SNK, Smilegate, Tencent, Ubisoft, and Valve. Each is engaged in multi-year agreements with the Esports World Cup Foundation. Competition across genres will contribute to cumulative rankings, ultimately determining the Champion Club.
We’re coming back in 2026 with a squad of the most prestigious esports titles 🏆
And four are yet to be announced 👀 pic.twitter.com/H4IjHRxMBC
— Esports World Cup (@EWC_EN) October 8, 2025
EWC 2025 Highlights
In 2025, Riyadh hosted the tournament from July 8 to July 24, featuring 26 events spread over 25 esports titles and distributing a prize pool of $70.45 million. There were 25 primary championship events, with $38 million allocated to individual titles, $27 million to the Club Championship, $6 million for qualifiers, and $500,000 awarded as MVP prizes. Teams faced off in 871 matches across six venues, including the stc Esports Arena.
Team Falcons won the Club Championship, securing 5,200 points and $7 million in winnings. Team Liquid followed with 4,200 points, while Team Vitality completed the top three with 4,050 points. Notably, prize pools increased for certain titles, with League of Legends reaching $2 million and Rocket League rising by $500,000. Dota 2 offered the largest single-title prize pool at $3 million.
- Author
Daniel Williams
